‘He strikes a fantastic balance between…’ – Alvaro Morata explains why Mourinho is the perfect man for Real Madrid

‘He strikes a fantastic balance between…’ – Alvaro Morata explains why Mourinho is the perfect man for Real Madrid As discussion continues around Jose Mourinho’s expected return to the Santiago Bernabeu, former Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata has offered a glowing endorsement of the Portuguese coach, while also sharing a personal story that explains why he still holds him in such high regard. Speaking to AS , Morata looked back on the moment his path first crossed with Mourinho’s during the coach’s first spell in Madrid.  What began as a brief encounter at Valdebebas when Mourinho was in charge of Inter Milan eventually led to one of the biggest opportunities of his career. “There’s a lovely story. Ahead of Inter’s Champions League final against Bayern at the Bernabeu, they went to train at Valdebebas the day before.  “I remember my team and I were there, and we had our photo taken with Mourinho before training started, and I was left watching the whole session on my own.  “He came over and said to me: ‘You’re the only one who’s stayed behind. Maybe we’ll see each other soon.’” That brief exchange turned out to be more meaningful than Morata could have imagined. The former Spain international continued,  Morata debuted under Mourinho. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images) “I went on holiday with my family; I’d just arrived in Marbella when Chendo rang me and said: ‘Listen, you have to go to America with the first team.’  “I thought it was a joke, but it was Mourinho – I’d signed for Madrid and he’d called me up for pre-season.  “I made my debut for Madrid, started playing matches with them, and he gave me that opportunity – you never forget something like that.” Backing Mourinho for success Years after making his professional debut under Mourinho’s command, Morata was asked whether Mourinho would be a good fit for Real Madrid again, to which he left little doubt about his opinion. “He’s a phenomenon. Nobody can imagine how funny he is in private, up close. Whenever I see him, we have a good laugh together.  “He strikes a fantastic balance between being an incredible motivator and a great team manager.  “Wherever he’s been, he’s always won or come close. And at Madrid, where they need to win all the time, I think he’ll do very well.” On Real Madrid exit Morata revealed why he left Real Madrid. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images) Morata’s support carries weight because he experienced both sides of life at Real Madrid.  The striker also reflected on his own journey at the club, admitting that competition for places ultimately influenced his departures. Looking back on his first exit, he explained, “I left to make a name for myself, to carve out a legacy, and because, at the time, I wasn’t playing much at Madrid and then a club like Juve came along – for whom I was the most important signing in recent times.” He later returned under Zinedine Zidane but found himself competing with one of the club’s modern greats.  While speaking about his tenure under the former manager, he added, “It was incredible too. Zidane was there. I scored 20 or 21 goals and everything was going really well. But it was the same as when I left the first time:  “I had a machine up front in Benzema and it was difficult to take his place.”